Scott Tower implosion was 'perfect'

Hundreds gather to watch building fall

Jan. 20, 2014

Crowds gathered to watch the implosion of Scott Tower in downtown Greenville on Sunday, January 19, 2014. / Heidi Heilbrunn/Staff

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Just like that, Scott Tower was gone.

The building that opened in 1970 toppled in a matter of seconds Sunday, falling neatly onto itself amid earth-shaking booms, cheers and gasps.

Hundreds of people gathered behind safety barriers off Augusta Street to watch the implosion, bringing their families, their dogs and their cameras to record an event few had ever seen in person.

It happened quickly — a few seconds of explosions — then 7 more seconds as Scott Tower crackled and collapsed to the ground.

Children cheered as a great cloud of dust spewed out from the building. Jaws dropped. People gasped. A few hundred feet from the drop zone, Patricia McManaway covered her face with her hands.

“I couldn’t imagine what it would be like. When I saw it fall, I just got teary,” McManaway said as she witnessed the end of a public housing project named after her grandfather, E.E. Scott.

The impact of more than 400 pounds of explosives could be heard for miles, rousing North Main residents abruptly from their beds. Greenville News readers reported hearing the blasts from as far away as Paris Mountain and Woodruff Road.

Emelie Hegarty, who watched the blast with friends on Thruston and Howe streets, said onlookers were scrambling to outrun the ensuing cloud that coated trees and cars and homes in soot.

“You could feel it getting in your eyes, on your hair and on your jacket, which was kind of gross, but it was worth it,” Hegarty said.

Scott Alms made the drive from Easley with his two sons, Anakin and Roman, who had talked of little else for days.

Alms and a few others in the crowd saw Greenville’s Memorial Auditorium implode in 1997, but, “That was nothing like this,” he said.

“It’s funny to watch things come and go, and we’re still here,” said Roger Gower, who remembered when the 14-story Scott Tower was built.

Crews began sweeping streets and checking for problems moments after the building fell. There were no reports of injuries or major collateral damage, said implosion contractor Steve Pettigrew.

“It was perfect,” Pettigrew said. “Everything went as planned.”

Gary Penland, project manager for the demolition, said the 25 to 30 feet of debris will be removed beginning Jan. 26. Firefighters will be using the site for disaster response training this week.